The Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) has handed over Teaching and Learning Materials to the Faculty of Educational Foundations.
Welcoming the team, the Coordinator of Sign Language Interpreting Programme, UCC, Dr. Irene Vanderpuye, stated that the purpose of the gathering was to officially exit the collaborative terms between UCC and GNAD from 2017 to 2020. She explained that it was part of the agreement that at the end of the programme, the learning resources would be handed over to the Faculty for teaching and learning.
UCC's Role
The Executive Director, GNAD, Mr. Juventus Dourinaah, expressed gratitude to the University authorities for their support throughout the span of the programme. “We have about 50 trained persons with certificates in Sign Language Interpreting programme,” he said. He assured the Faculty of all the necessary financial and material support from GNAD towards the continuation of the Sign Language Interpreting Programme. He hinted that a group from Uganda had expressed interest to join the programme following successes chalked in Ghana. He was hopeful that the programme would be continued even after the expiration of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in order to train more certified Sign Language Interpreting professionals to help facilitate communication, teaching and learning in the country.
Mr. Dourinaah also used the occasion to thank the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) for its’ enormous support and towards the programme.
UCC is Committed to the Cause of Hearing Impaired
Receiving the gadgets (materials), the Vice Dean, Faculty of Educational Foundations, Prof. Emmanuel Kofi Gyimah, commended GNAD for its’ gesture and commitment to the agreement. He stated that “As an institution, we cannot compromise on training people who are hearing impaired.” Prof. Gyimah promised that the learning resources would be used for their intended purposes. He was hopeful that beneficiaries of the programme would contribute their quota towards the development of the nation. The items presented include two HP Laptops, two projectors, Galaxy-A6 tablet, Samsung smart camera, tripod, Projector Screen and four extension boards.
Present were the Secretary to the Programme, Dr. Gideon Kwesi Obosu; Snr. Lecturer, Dr. Edward Kofi Ntim; Assistant Lecturer, Ms. Ivy Ama Kpodoe, College Finance Officer, College of Educational Studies; Mrs. Kate Adu-Gyinah, Faculty Account Officer, Mr. Iddrisu Abubakar and the GNAD team.